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CPR FAQs

About 80 percent of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen at home

Learning to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can mean the difference between life and death for a loved one

Effective bystander CPR, can double a victim’s chance of survival

Death from sudden cardiac arrest is not inevitable. If more people knew CPR, more lives could be saved

Brain death starts to occur four to six minutes after someone experiences cardiac arrest if no CPR and defibrillation occurs during that time If bystander CPR is not provided, a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival fall 7 percent to 10 percent for every minute of delay until defibrillation

Coronary heart disease accounts for about 450,000 adults who die each year as a result of cardiovascular disease. Learn more.

Visit www.americanheart.org

Sudden cardiac arrest is most often caused by an abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF)